Taxes are only within machine gun range!

Chapter 125 The advantage is mine
Vevetenango Province, Solora Valley, rebel headquarters.

Juan trudged along the muddy mountain path, his boots caked with mud washed down by the previous night's downpour. Dozens of makeshift shelters made of banana leaves and tarpaulins stretched along the ridgeline, and from the closest shelter came the suppressed groans of the wounded.

Rainfall means mud, and it also means that government armored vehicles cannot temporarily enter the complex mountain roads—this is a rare respite for them.

He sighed, turned to look at the dozen or so soldiers huddled around a can of food, enjoying corn porridge with a little bit of meat gravy, and asked, "The medicine ran out so quickly?"

The boy who had been following Juan looked somewhat somber: "There should have been some left, but one of the off-road vehicles that Mr. 'Hell Tax Collector' gave us was blown up, and the supplies inside were gone too."

He felt saddened by the thought of his companions, medicine, food, and weapons who perished in the fire along with the car.

Especially when he saw those bulletproof vests being torn apart by bullets, he felt so heartbroken that he wished he could give his own life to save the equipment.

Nine men managed to break through and return, but seventy to eighty percent of the equipment Milton provided was lost in the fierce fighting, costing them over ten thousand dollars in a single battle!

The remaining nine people broke through and returned, dividing up the remaining supplies, but it was still a drop in the bucket.

All medical supplies were used up in half a day, and the canned meat was shared by more than a dozen people—only elite soldiers fighting on the front lines were entitled to it.

Juan sat down by the campfire and refused a soldier's offer of corn porridge with chunks of meat: "You eat it. We're all tired of this stuff in Malacan."

"I just have this feeling that the battle we fought yesterday was a bit strange. Last night I analyzed it with the people at command, and they also think there's a problem."

The boy immediately panicked: "What's wrong?!"

"The enemy must have been prepared, otherwise our losses would not have been so heavy."

The boy was even more astonished: "The enemy, why would they be prepared? There's definitely no traitor among our 18 people, because we don't even have communication equipment! We've also been very well hidden along the way."

At this point, the boy finally realized something.

"You mean that small town?!"

“Yes.” Juan nodded. “We speculate that because the ‘Hell Tax Collectors’ have only been in control of the town for a short time, there are still some remnants of enemy forces that have not been eliminated.”

"We need to inform him right away!"

During that breakout battle, the bulletproof vest he was wearing shielded the boy from four fatal gunshots. From then on, the boy developed boundless respect and gratitude for Milton.

It's important to understand that internal problems are no small matter. One of the major defeats suffered by the resistance was due to a traitor within their ranks.

If Milton doesn't address this quickly, it could escalate into a major problem.

“I believe the ‘Hell Tax Collector’ has realized it.” Juan shook his head, recalling the details of yesterday’s call. “His attitude clearly indicates that he has realized something is wrong with our casualties.”

"I hope he succeeds... He's a rare ally for us."

After finishing his story about Milton, Juan looked at the other soldiers and raised his voice slightly: "Brothers, I know these days have been tough, but believe me, dawn is just around the corner, and the food in front of you is proof enough."

“We met a friend who has great potential and access to a lot of good things... but he is just a spark, surrounded by enemies, and could be extinguished with the slightest breeze.”

"We can no longer stand idly by and watch this happen, so the command has decided to make some adjustments to the next phase of the battle."

"Starting today, our focus will be on the south. We must break through the government forces' defenses and do everything we can to establish contact with our friends!"

"The mission will be difficult, and the casualties will be heavy... but this path leads to victory, the final victory."

"..."

……

Meanwhile, at Lyman's checkpoint.

In his office, Lyman listened to the phone call with a livid face, his hands trembling uncontrollably, looking like he had Parkinson's disease.

On the other end of the phone, Lopez, who always considered himself superior and had a gentlemanly demeanor—at least in front of outsiders—was almost hysterically roaring.

"Lyman!"

"You stupid pig, do you know what you've done?!"

"Who guaranteed me that Milton would suffocate in two or three months? Who was reporting the victories to me, a small win every day and a big win every three days?!"

"Huh?! Tell me!"

“If I didn’t have connections in town, you’d still be in the dark, still sending Milton a steady stream of funds! An endless stream of funds!”

“One million! You actually sent Milton a million dollars in cash in just one month!” Lopez’s voice trembled with rage. “And you even used our own money to send it!”

"You son of a bitch, we only make less than 1000 profit per corpse, and Milton actually makes 3000?! He takes the lion's share while I only get a small portion?!"

"And then I have to use the thousand dollars I worked so hard to earn for advertising, to subsidize bounty hunters, and to keep sending money to Milton?"

"Suffocated?"

"Yes, I believe Milton will suffocate, but not from your blockade, he'll suffocate from laughing. He'll be laughing in his sleep!"

Lyman broke out in a cold sweat: "...Mr. Lopez, we...we didn't mean it. Who would have thought Milton would be so bold as to do something like this? Isn't he a righteous tax collector? How could he do such a thing?"

Honestly, the thought that his former deputy stationmaster, Green, was among the corpses he had acquired sent chills down Lyman's spine.

That's so vicious, Milton is truly vicious.

More vicious to the bone than those Mexican drug lords...

At most, they might hang up police officers and cause some tragedies, but Milton's actions could really give people nightmares in the middle of the night.

"Then you fucking chose this one!" Lopez cursed. "I told you to kill, kill, kill! I told you not to leave any way out for the others! You killed all the easy targets, and now that a tough one has come along, you're not happy?"

“Mr. Congressman…why don’t we try contacting him again to cooperate?” Lyman was already a little scared. “I don’t think we need to fight him to the death.”

With Congressman López in Quetzaltenango, heavily guarded by troops, including tanks and armored vehicles, he can say whatever he wants.

The problem is that Lyman is the one on the front lines, the one who has to face Milton's military threat on the front lines.

This is similar to how civil officials advocate war while the military advocates peace.

Who wants to fight and who doesn't?

Lyman is a corrupt checkpoint chief. After Milton bombed the bridge at the last outpost, killing a lot of people, he has suffered huge losses in his accounts.

Taxes have also decreased significantly.

Lyman originally wanted to hold back, relying on Lopez, and thought he and Milton would bleed themselves dry to see who could withstand it.

It turns out that he was the one who was bleeding him out all along, while Milton was happily sucking his blood and eating his fill.

It wasn't that Lyman, who had the advantage of terrain, was really afraid of Milton, but rather that he didn't want to lose money.

"Heh, is that so? You want to negotiate peace?" Lopez's voice suddenly turned cold, tinged with sarcasm. "You're willing to negotiate peace, but it seems they're not so keen."

Lyman was immediately startled: "You, what do you mean?!"

"Have you heard about the heavy losses our army suffered on the front lines recently?" Lopez sneered again. "Our elite troops and special forces suffered 42 casualties on the spot, and another 5 died after failed rescue attempts, while the enemy only lost 9 men."

Lyman didn't quite understand: "Uh, what does what's going on with the army have to do with us? Aren't those rebels already cornered and going to surrender soon?"

According to the information he received, a peace agreement between the two sides has already begun to be drafted. The reason why the fighting is so intense now is that both sides want to gain a good bargaining chip at the negotiating table.

The closer they got to a ceasefire, the fiercer the fighting became.

Isn't it normal for there to be some casualties?

Lopez was too lazy to curse this idiot anymore. His voice gradually calmed down as he said, "Surrender? I don't think so."

Lyman was shocked: "Why?!"

"Do you know why we suffered such heavy losses? We were well prepared, but we still lost an entire platoon of elite troops?"

“Milton?” Lyman exclaimed in surprise. “Could it be that Milton provided them with aid?”

“Based on the traces we found at the scene, yes,” Lopez said. “Do you know what this means? Do you know what we did to the rebels? If the rebels attack, guess where your scalp will be?”

"surrender?"

“The moment we refuse to accept their surrender, you have already lost the right to surrender.”

A massacre that killed hundreds of thousands of people...

As someone on this pirate ship, Lyman truly had no chance of making peace.

If the rebels win, the entire military, from top to bottom, will definitely not escape a major trial.

"Therefore, find a way to suppress the Milton Group. Once the army has dealt with the rebels, there will naturally be enough power to completely wipe out Milton. And you are the first line of defense in suppressing Milton, understand?"

“…I understand.” Lyman gave a wry smile and said, “I just hope the weapon you’re giving me arrives soon.”

“Don’t worry.” Lopez calmed down completely after he finished cursing. “I’ve already pulled the strings and we can start importing more powerful weapons—a large-caliber howitzer will arrive at the port of Champelli in less than a month.”

“Then I could bomb Milton’s town continuously from 20 kilometers away, and he wouldn’t even be able to find me.”

"If you can just hold on for a month, a month shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

Lopez knew that these people who came to make money had no fighting ability and he didn't expect them to be able to defeat Milton.

If he weren't obedient enough, had enough dirt on him to be easily overturned and controlled, Lopez wouldn't want to use a piece of trash like Lehman.

In such crucial situations, loyalty is sometimes more important than ability. Knowing Lyman's role, he didn't have high expectations for him.

If we buy a month's time and the howitzers arrive, we can launch a sustained long-range strategic bombardment of Milton's headquarters. Before long, the Milton Group will be completely disintegrated.

He will make sure Milton dies in the most miserable way possible!
No, he was even a little reluctant to let Milton die; keeping him alive and tormenting him was the best form of punishment.

Lyman breathed a sigh of relief: "A month shouldn't be a problem, don't worry... I've been gathering manpower for the past month, maybe I can defeat him on my own?"

He still has hundreds of men under his command, as well as checkpoints that are constantly being reinforced, armored vehicles, and artillery and heavy machine guns.

They're not afraid of head-on confrontations, let alone defense.

The bridge being blown up last time was just because he was careless.

“Very good,” Lopez said. “I’m almost done negotiating the tank order with them. Once we get this equipment, victory will be ours.”

After saying that, Lopez hung up the phone.

Lyman breathed a sigh of relief and was about to get up when the phone rang urgently again.

"Who..."

Lyman answered the phone with a puzzled look on his face. Before he could even speak, a hurried voice came from the other end.

"Do you know where Lopez is? Why isn't he answering the phone?"

This voice...

Lyman didn't immediately recognize who it was, and asked, "You, who are you?"

"I am in Malakhan town."

Lyman immediately recognized the voice and quickly replied, "Oh, Mr. Lopez was just on the phone with me, but the line is busy. What can I do for you?"

"It concerns you." The voice was calm. "I have received definite information that the Milton Group is coming to attack you."

Upon hearing this, Lyman felt a chill run down his spine. He immediately pressed, "He's almost here? When?!"

It wasn't that Lyman thought he couldn't hold out for a month, but rather that he hoped Milton would call later.

Otherwise, I would lose so much more money.

The voice on the phone replied coldly, "Tomorrow."

"What?!" Lyman almost jumped up. "Tomorrow?! Why wasn't there any warning?"

"How could there be no warning signs? It's just that you..." the spy took a deep breath, "...didn't notice."

He really wanted to say "You idiot," but he ultimately held back from uttering the insult.

"Then what?!"

"You have your own strength, don't ask me," the spy said coldly. "Holding out for a month is a piece of cake for you, isn't it?"

Lyman's expression shifted for a moment before he said, "Alright... there really isn't any other way. But you're right, I have over 80 men at my disposal, and I can temporarily pull police officers from the town, recruit bounty hunters, and even bring over gangs from Mexico."

"We can probably muster around 200 men. With the equipment provided by Mr. Lopez, we still have the advantage with 200 men against their 100-odd men."

"Alright, I need to prepare to leave now," the voice said. "After giving you the message, I'll definitely be exposed. I'll go back after you win..."

……

In the town of Malacan, Milton and Flora sat together, analyzing a pile of documents on the table. Some people were carefully examining the map, while others were studying the names on the list.

"Sigh, our 'new triangular trade' has finally been exposed," Flora said with some regret. "What a pity! In the end, we only made $82, which is a little less than expected."

“I thought you were the one who couldn’t hold back the most when it came to the triangular trade?” Milton glanced at her. “Now you’re sighing and lamenting?”

Almost every time a new wave of people was sold, Flora would complain about Milton's incredible creativity.

Flora looked up matter-of-factly: "As long as we can build an airport, what does it matter if we sell out some enemies? It's all for the airport!"

Milton pulled a document from the table and said, "Alright, enough talk, tell me the list you wrote."

"Alright... let me show you my masterpiece."

“Our first suspect is the owner of this pharmacy near the central church,” Flora said. “I remember you went to this pharmacy before the attack on the hospital, right?”

Milton nodded slightly; he remembered that incident very clearly.

The first pharmacy he investigated was this one. However, it was a legitimate pharmacy and didn't sell counterfeit drugs. Apart from the owner's poor attitude, there were no other problems. So, after Milton took control of the town, he didn't bother to cause trouble for the owner.

Of course, the shop owner knew exactly who he had insulted, and on Milton's very first day in control of the town, he came back with a huge pile of money and kowtowed...

“He paid protection money to the police before, and we have a grudge against each other.” Flora tapped the name. “He’s highly suspected.”

Milton nodded slightly: "Next?"

“The next one is a girl, Ariana Anthony,” Flora said seriously. “It’s also related to your attack on the pharmacy last time. Do you remember the family of the shop owner you executed?”

"Yeah, remember."

"Later, the shop owner's house was occupied by Fan Kang's gang, and the lady of the house was murdered, but her daughter luckily escaped." Flora's tone was a little sad. "Although this matter has nothing to do with you, but... well, you know, she may think it's your fault and resent you. At the same time, she is also very short of money."

The motivation is quite strong...

Milton did kill her father, but her father was a murderer, and he even killed a pregnant woman. He cannot be forgiven for such an absurd reason, otherwise what would the pregnant woman's family think?
As for the atrocities committed by the Van Conn gang, Milton burned all the members of the Van Conn gang alive not long afterward.

But just as Flora said, hatred can blind people, making it impossible to analyze such things from a purely rational perspective.

“Alright… your work efficiency is quite good.” Milton nodded. “These two definitely need to be closely monitored and investigated. Anything else?”

“There are a few more, don’t rush me, boss.” Flora rolled her eyes and turned to the next page of the booklet in her hand. “How many days have you been in charge of the town? There are probably a lot of people who have a grudge against you. Let me tell you slowly.”

"Look, this guy used to be a gambler. I heard he always dreamed of getting rich from slot machines. Although he's found a proper job now, it's hard to say whether he'll hold a grudge against you for emptying the casino."

"And this person, he's on drugs, his mental state might not be normal..."

“A ‘volunteer’ who once worked at the Qing Teng Foundation was most likely unaware of the fake drugs and was also deceived, but we cannot make judgments based solely on imagination, so I still placed him on the high suspicion list.”

"The employee of the waste treatment plant was unemployed for a period of time because you attacked the waste treatment plant. He may have some grudge against you and is a suspect, so I've included him in the count."

"And this one, uh, the one in charge of handling excrement, uh, you know what you've done, although it's unlikely, and he might even hate you, so we've included him too."

Milton: "Damn... don't bring that up, that was clearly Matteo going crazy."

"And this, this..."

To be honest, Flora is quite dedicated; she listed everyone who was suspected and had a motive.

Each name corresponds to a red circle on the town map, indicating a key target for surveillance.

As the booklet grew thinner and thinner, the police station doors were suddenly opened.

Olya, a Russian journalist who looks stunning in anything she wears, yawned and sat down next to the two men.

"'Godfather,' the propaganda work is almost done. Here's the list; have your scouts pay close attention."

As she spoke, she yawned again.

"Can I go to sleep now?"

After a night of intense work, she had to go out for promotional activities, and she had to be very careful with those activities. Olya was already feeling the strain.

"Go to sleep." Milton waved his hand. "You've worked hard. Overtime pay will be included in your salary next month."

“That’s great…” Olya stretched and chuckled. “I never imagined that my current salary would be higher than before the collapse of the Soviet Union, and by a significant amount.”

"..."

After watching Olya leave, Milton also felt a little sleepy.

“Hmm… I need to get some sleep too.” Milton yawned, seemingly infected by the yawn, and said, “If you don’t sleep for too long, your thinking will slow down a lot. Let’s talk about the person on the last page.”

Flora caught the yawn too and turned to the last page.

"This last one doesn't seem to have any grudges against you, and there's no concrete evidence to prove that he has any relationship with the old director or station chief. However, after considering many factors, I still added him to the list of high suspects."

"Oh?" Milton asked, a little curious. "Why?"

“Because I feel that from the beginning until now, a lot of negative things have revolved around this place. It may be a coincidence, but my personal intuition tells me it’s suspicious, so I’ll add it.” Flora pointed to the name, “Raymond George.”

A name that's very unfamiliar.

Milton followed her finger and turned to look at the map.

The location is very conspicuous, very conspicuous...

Because it's right in the center of the map.

"Central Church".

Milton spoke calmly.

(End of this chapter)